Brooklyn Bridge still a good buy: Doo-wop group in concert at Sherman

Friday

Mar 12, 2010 at 12:01 AM

Fans of doo-wop know the name Johnny Maestro well, and even boomers who don't know the name remember songs such as "The Worst That Could Happen" and would recognize covers of "Blessed Is The Rain" and "Unchained Melody," all songs released by Maestro and his group, The Brooklyn Bridge.

PETE PAPPALARDO

Fans of doo-wop know the name Johnny Maestro well, and even boomers who don't know the name remember songs such as "The Worst That Could Happen" and would recognize covers of "Blessed Is The Rain" and "Unchained Melody," all songs released by Maestro and his group, The Brooklyn Bridge.

Now, with tenor Maestro battling cancer, the show will go on with guest artist Joel Katz, for whom Maestro himself has sung back-up at various points in his career.

"I know that Katz worked with Johnny on a lot of behind-the-scene stuff, and everyone else in the band has been together for 42 years. He hand-picked Joel," said Adam Vodofsky, spokesman from the Sherman, adding that it was Johnny's wish that the "show must go on."

The change harks back to the origins of the band, which experienced some dramatic changes in personnel right from its inception. The Brooklyn Bridge was created in 1968 when fragments of two rival bands merged. The vocal group the Del-Satins was a vocal quartet including Maestro, Fred Ferrara, Mike Gregorio and Les Cauchi, while the Rhythm Method was an instrumental seven-piece band. As unlikely as the new large group seemed, it quickly rose in the charts with the release of its debut album, which included "The Worst That Could Happen."

Les Cauchi, one of the original members of Brooklyn Bridge, said that the group is doing well, all things considered. The name allegedly came because they thought their chances of making it were as good as successfully selling someone that famed span.

"I go back to the beginning. That's how the agent decided to bill us at the time," Cauchi said. "We were one of the first groups with that sound. Chicago was the only other group that was that size."

Cauchi went on to chronicle Maestro's illness, saying that he managed to perform up until the Bowser show, attended by 8,000 doo-wop fans, when he decided it was time to take a leave of absence and concentrate on a treatment plan for his cancer.

"I've known Johnny since the '60s. It's strange standing on that stage and looking to my left and not seeing him. His voice is iconic, and he is really missed," Cauchi said. But he also said it was a natural for Maestro and the rest of the group to ask Katz to fill in for him.

Katz is a long-time collaborator with Maestro and an industry favorite whose credits include the voice of the dancing bear on the "Captain Kangaroo" show. He fronted numerous bands including the Autumns, the Wizards, the Platinums, the Connotations, Twilight and Ronnie I's Cliftonaires. He also sang lead with the Del-Satins at points in their early days, and worked with oldies singers who provided back-up to his own recordings under the name Joel and the Dymensions.

Among the background voices on these recent recordings were Maestro and Bobby Jay, a veteran bass singer. Just last Christmas, he collaborated with Maestro, Jay and Larry Chance of the Earls to record under the name Santa's Doo-Wop Helpers. With Maestro, Jay and Chance on background, Joel served as lead tenor. Their classic is "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

The Brooklyn Bridge's appearances include "The Ed Sullivan Show," Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, L.A.'s Universal Amphitheater, as well casinos throughout the United States. They continue to make numerous concert appearances in the United States and abroad, recently visiting Germany and England.

"All this is happening with Johnny's knowledge and blessing," Cauchi said, referring to Katz's stint with the band. "Joel's timbre is very similar to Johnny's, and he is able to duplicate the tones very well. We're all praying for Johnny's recovery, and hopefully he'll return. Right now it's our aim to continue the musical legacy of Brooklyn Bridge."

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